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With the FA Cup up next for Liverpool, a few solid days of players and managers and pundits trying to find new ways to bang on about its magic was probably always inevitable. And, for a side either confident of a top four finish or of ending their league season rather further down the table, there may be something to such sentiment, even if it can at times sound of people doing their best to say all the things they know they're meant to.
For Liverpool this season, focused as they are on returning to the Champions League, the situation is different. For Liverpool this season, the goal is the payoff that comes with participating in Europe's top competition and that it might allow the club to push on for even greater things—not to mention just maybe keeping Luis Suarez around. It's a head over heart kind of approach, but for most it's the reality. If you ask the players, though, you're going to get something about magic.
"The FA Cup looks to be a great competition to play in, at least from what I could see looking at it from abroad before I came to England," said Iago Aspas, who may or may not believe in the magic of the cup and could be contractually obligated to say he does either way. "It is thought of highly here, whereas by comparison, in Spain we don't lend as much importance to the cups. I think that all the cup competitions are very important over here. I can remember tuning in to the two finals from last season."
With Luis Suarez playing the Hull City game well short of full fitness, the most magical thing for Aspas might be the chance to start his sixth game of the season and allowing Liverpool's Uruguayan superstar the week off—something most fans will be hoping for. Most of those fans would also be happy for it to be a magical day for youngsters like Brad Smith, Jordan Rossiter, and Jack Dunn. Though of course that only further goes to show where the focus really lies for a great many.
